Madeleine Frances (Bolecek) Supina

Madeleine Frances Bolecek (mom) was born in New Brighton, Pa. on September 17, 1908 to Louis and Mary Bolecek.

While Madeleine was still a young child, the family moved to a farm in Woodford, Virginia. She was the oldest of six children – working very hard in her father’s tobacco fields. She also helped tend to the chickens and milked cows. It was a hard life for a child. - She and her siblings went to the Mica school in Woodford, VA.  They had to go through the woods on the farm and cross a creek, walking over a log....NOT EVEN A BOARD!  She finished 8th grade

When mom was 15 years old, she left the farm and went to live in New York City. She stayed with cousins, Tessie and Adam Ondrejka until she was employed as a live-in housekeeper by the Glucksmans who treated her like family and took mom to their weekend/summer place in Lakewood, N.J. . While visiting a friend, she met Walter Supina (pop)– they were married on July 26, 1930.

The young couple took up residence in East Hartford. Madeleine was a good wife and now housekeeper of her own home. She became a mother when young Walter arrived. Four children later found the family living in Pine Hill, NJ, Runnemede, NJ and in 1942 to an 11-acre farm between Glassboro and Aura NJ.. In 1946 the family moved to a 23-acre farm in Penns Park, PA . I remember mom working so hard caring for her family – cooking, cleaning house, washing, ironing and canning. In addition to the responsibility of caring for the family, she also had to assure that the farm animals (cow, pigs, chickens) were tended to daily .and that the crops in the garden were harvested.

Mom was so intent on getting a Catholic education for her children, that she took turns with a Mrs. Juracka driving us to school and picking us up (a 10 mile round-trip twice daily)

To help with the needs of a family that was growing up, mom also worked in a sweater factory in Churchville, PA, and an electrical switch factory in Pineville, PA.

Madeleine was a devout Catholic, a member of the Sodality and the Legion of Mary. She also volunteered to do ironing at the Marist Seminary in Langhorne, PA when the on-site nuns threatened to quit and go back to Canada because they were overworked.

When her father had a stroke, mom, being the devoted eldest daughter brought her mother and father (babka and dedko) to live at the home in Penns Park. Mom and babka turned dedko every four hours. During the seven years he was bedridden before he died, he never had a bedsore.

Mom loved to have large family parties where her children, grandchildren, siblings, neighbors would gather on the lawn and enjoy each other’s company while sharing dishes that mom had spent days preparing. Countless occasions were celebrated at the home in Penns Park. Mom and Pop were part of a large group of friends in and near Penns Park. They had wonderful times together. Of course having Mom's sister Theresa living close by made these occasions even more special! She was a good teacher by her example of selflessness and love.

Mom had several hobbies--- sewing, crocheting afghans for many appreciative people and flower gardening, Of course vegetable gardening wasn't a hobby, it was a necessity.

Travel was something else Mom & Pop enjoyed. They visited family throughout the U.S. After Pop had his heart attack, Mom did all the driving on their several trips across the US.

Madeleine died of complications from cerebral hemorrhage on May 12, 1983